Trabzon is a northeastern province of Turkey. You’ll find a lot of light industry there: small farmers, plantations growing tea and craftsman. It also happens to be home to some of the most sought-after honey in the world.
Ibrahim Sedef, is a beekeeper who, along with his bees, works in the region, producing Anzer honey. It’s aromatic stuff and is wildly believed to have curative powers—your healthcare mileage may vary. People love Sedef’s honey. Unfortunately, so do a bunch of local bears.
Sedef tried a number of solutions to keep the animals away from his beehives: he locked the hives up for the night. He secured his home against the animals breaking in. He even left out sweet fruit and baked goods for the bears to draw them away from his products. No dice. Over three years, he lost over $10,000 in profits. At this point, a lot of folks may have turned to having the animals killed, in order to protect their profits. Not Sedef: he enlisted the furry brutes to do a bit of taste testing for him, instead.
Image via Flickr, courtesy of Beverly